Education

the gift that lasts forever
6year19year

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Taiba3
Taiba’s father was a soldier with the Afghan military. He was injured in an operation against the Taliban, leaving him permanently paralyzed in the legs. Taiba’s family lives in a small town in Nuristan.

Taiba

12 years old

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Rezwana3
Rizwana was born to a complicated family. Her father was an addict and beat her mother severely. Her mother was finally able to get a divorce in order to save herself and her daughters. Unfortunately, her mother passed away after suffering several strokes when the girls were still very small and the girls had to live with their grandmother who also passed away. They eventually lived with their aunts and uncles and they always had to jump from one place to another. Rezwana’s older sisters were married off by their uncle and Rezwana continued to stay with one of her uncles.

Rizwana

13 years old

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Bushra3
Bushra is from Nuristan. Her father used to work for the national television but after August last year when Taliban took power, he left his job as he did not want to work for the Taliban. Bushra’s father is really keen on her daughter on getting educated.

Bushra

10 years old

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Zomira3
Zomra’s father was a former soldier who fought in many battles against the Taliban. He left the army after witnessing Taliban torturing and brutally killing his father in law catching him after a battle and him making a very narrow escape. As a result of his trauma he developed depression and he has not been fully able to recover. His wife was also left deeply depres

Zomra

10 years old

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Zainab3
Zainab is a little girl from Nuristan. She comes from a large family and her parents want to send her to Kabul to enroll at a school. Currently girls in Nuristan can’t study and her mother wishes Zainab could study in Kabul, otherwise she would have to attend a religious madrassa in her town.

Zainab

6 years old

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Yumna3
Yumna is a cheerful little girl from Nuristan. She has two older sisters Zomra and Tamana. She is a curious girl and loves playing outdoors.

Yumna

6 years old

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Vera3
Vera is a six years old girl from a tiny village in Nuristan. Her parents want to send her to Kabul where she can join one of the safe houses and start going to school as she cannot have this opportunity in her village.

Vera

6 years old

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Tamana3
Tamana is the younger sister of Yumna. Her family lives in Nuristan and they want to send her to Kabul for her to start school.

Tamana

7 years old

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Denise3

Denise

10 years old

monira
Munira had a very tragic life when she was a little child. Munira was 3 years old when her father past away and her mother married another man. At this time, Munira was left alone without any caretaker and there was nobody to keep her. During her time alone, some parts of her body were burned by wood fire. Fortunately, one of her neighborhoods, who has a kind heart, brought her to Mehan Orphanage. Khala Pari, mother of the New Mehan Orphanage, kept her like her own child. Now she has turned into a beautiful girl and she is studying at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music, playing Saxophone. And also she is part of AFCECO dance group.

Munira

17 years old

aria
Aria is the youngest of four siblings. Aria’s father was an Afghan soldier deployed to Helmand in 2017 where he was killed fighting the Taliban. Since the death of her father, the family who were living in Dara-e-Noor, a mountainous area in east of Afghanistan, had a hard time as her illiterate mother was not in a position to support four children. The destitute mother approached one of AFCECO’s graduates who is a teacher in that area to take one of her children to AFCECO orphanage in Kabul. Aria enjoys the pens and notebooks at school and playing children's games. She is now living in an AFCECO safe house.

Aria

12 years old

frishta
Frishta is now 11 years old and lives at an AFCECO safehouse. Frishta was 8th years old girl when she arrived at AFCECO, born in a remote village of Kunduz province. Frishta’s family lives a village that is ruling by the Taliban, most of the time there is fighting between the Taliban and the soldiers and in this among, normal people die under the bullet. The most people are very poor and can find nutrition hardly, however Frishta’s family decide to send her to the orphanage to get educate Frishta likes to become a teacher, so that she would be able to teach the girls for those who are deprived of education such as herself. Her family, said, she can dance very well and love to be part of the orphanage dance group.

Frishta

11 years old

farahnaz
Farahnaz and her entire community fled the war that has been going between ISIS and Afghanistan’s government and took refugee at a camp in 2017 near to Jalalabad city. This newly established camp has horrible conditions for children, as dozen of them have died because of poor sanitation and lack of medical care. Farahnaz belongs to a poor family whose drug-addicted father works at a brick factory. Farahnaz, now 14 years old, was a top student in her village school and couldn’t continue her education since they settled at the camp, where she is working alongside her mother waving carpet to make a living. Farahnaz came to Mehan Orphanage in 2017 to restart her school along with her sisters Noria and Nazo. She likes math and library, reading, drawing and watching movies. She wants to be a doctor to help her people. She is now living in one of our safe houses.

Farahnaz

14 years old

nooria
Nooria lived at village of Nangahar near to Afghanistan – Pakistan border, far away from a city. This area had been a battlefield for years between ISIS and Taliban and as a result all schools are closed. Nooria and her family whose life depended on a small piece of land left the village and settled at newly established camp close to Jalalabad city. Nooria is a very smart girl; good at painting and loves dancing. AFCECO team visited the camp in October 2018 and were impressed by her talents. Nooria came to Mehan Orphanage in Kabul, with two sisters Nazo and Farahnaz. She enjoys color and painting and playing football. In the future she would like to become a doctor.

Nooria

14 years old

husna
Husna is from Kunduz province. Her father is working on fields of other people and her elder brother who is only 11 years old also works on streets for less amount of money. Her family cannot earn enough for all children’s education and other expenses. There is fighting between Taliban who wanted to take the control of Kunduz province and afghan military soldiers that end up having a lot of victims and most of the people moved to capital in a very bad condition, So, Husna and other kids are become the victim of this bad situation. So, there is nothing expect fighting and poverty. With all this things, Husna’s family want her daughter become educate and don’t want to be like her parents who are always surfing of poverty and illiteracy and they want her daughter join the orphanage and have peaceful life. Husna came by herself to AFCECO in 2017. She enjoys books and movies and would like to be a doctor. Husna is now living in an AFCECO Safehouse.

Husna

15 years old

setayesh
Setayesh, As a little girl grew up in a poor and misery-stricken family. The drug-addicted father abandoned the family and left the illiterate mother to take care of 8 children. Donya and her elder siblings had to work at other people house who often faced all kinds of harassments. They left their village after two of her uncles were killed by the Taliban who were police officers and since then the family is on the move seeking a safe place to live. Setayesh followed her older sisters to AFCECO. She is adept with a pen or pencil and draws caricatures and cartoons. She enjoys studying English because it is an international language. She would like to be an astronaut. She is living in a safe house with one of her older sisters.

Setayesh

15 years old

sohaila
Sohaila has been studying violin at Afghanistan National Institute of Music. And was she is in AFCECO dance group. She is living now in a safe house under AFCECO management and with her sisters Raihana and Tamana. She enjoys reading in English and Dari. Her dream is to be a good musician. Her family lives in a very isolated village of Farah province which is attacked by Taliban. Her father had heart disease and didn’t have money to go to hospital and finally he died. He left her children forever along with her mother who didn’t know how to make money to her children. She had to married with another man. She came to Mehan Orphanage in 2017.

Sohaila

15 years old

donya
Donya is an accomplished artist in many mediums. As little girl she grew up in a poor and misery-stricken family. The drug-addicted father abandoned the family and left the illiterate mother to take care of 8 children. Donya and her elder siblings had to work at other people house who often faced all kinds of harassments. They left their village after two of her uncles were killed by the Taliban who were police officers and since then the family is on the move seeking a safe place to live. She came to AFCECO in 2017 and has been thriving ever since. Donya is in a safe house with her younger sister Setayesh. In her own words: I was born in Farah and lived in there, but now I can't live there. Only my mother works in our house and my father is drug addicted so he can’t work. my family still lives in Farah. We live in one of the safe houses of AFCECO with my sister, she is setayish and she is smaller than me. I went to AFCECO 4years ago, because we had in our family very difficulties. I like English subject in school, because it's an International language. I like drawing, I like music and always I listen to music in my free time. I want to become an artist. and everyday I practice drawing. After The Taliban came in power in Afghanistan, we can't work like before. I used to paint with our group on the walls of Kabul city, but since the Taliban came, we can no longer paint on walls, because they don't allow to us.

Donya Artal

17 years old

raihana
Rihanna is now 15 years old and a pianist and singer. She is a member of the Zohra orchestra. She would like to be a musician she says"music is my life". She is living in an AFCECO safe house with her younger sisters. She enjoys studying English and Piano. My Name is Rihana and I am 12 years old girl. I am in 4th grade. My family is living in isolated village of Farah province which is attacked by Taliban and there is not school. My father had heart disease and he didn’t have money to go to hospital and then he died. He leaved us forever along with my mother who didn’t know how to make money to her children and she married with another men. Now I am living in a place like heaven. I have a lot of friends and I am playing Karate with a group of girls.

Rihana

18 years old

nazoo
Nazo is now 15 years old and living with family members at an AFCECO safe house in Kabul. She enjoys reading her science books and playing games. She would like to be a teacher and serve uneducated girls in Afghanistan. Nazo was19 years old when she came to AFCECO with her two sisters Farahnaz and Noria. She is from the conservative village of Nangarhar, which is the center of both ISIS and the Taliban. Like so many families in Afghanistan, Nazo’s family lives in poverty. Her father was a teacher in the village but when the Taliban closed the school her father became unemployed and he was also carefully watched by the Taliban. He decided to leave the village and move to Farm Hada, a commune, which is located in Nangarhar province. Life continues to be difficult for the family. Lacking money and the basics needed for life, her parents made a painful decision to ask AFCECO to care for their daughter.

Nazo

19 years old

hasina
Hasina is from very isolated village of Nangarhar where is control by Taliban and ISIS. Her family lived in Village but because of ISIS and Taliban the people left the village and set up a tent in a desert to live and they don’t have anything to eat. Therefore, Hasina’s father requested us to take Hasina and her brother in the orphanage otherwise she will die of hunger. She came to AFCECO in 2019 with her brother Khaled. She likes the pens and books at school as well as playing chess and football. She would like to be a teacher when she grows up. Hasina is now living in an AFCECO safe house.

Hasina

9 years old

walia
Walija and her sister Aziza arrived from Nooristan in late 2021. She is in 2nd grade and nine years old.

Walia

10 years old

tamana
Tamana lived in AFCECO's Mehan orphanage along with her two older sisters. She was in the dance group. She comes from a very poor family in the remote western city of Farah. Today she lives in an AFCECO Safehouse in Kabul staffed by her parents. Her three younger siblings are there along with a dozen girls. She is very bright and lead the group in English class. Perhaps her dream to become an engineer can come true.

Tamana

12 years old

lala
Laleh was born in Nuristan province in Bregmatl district. She was living with her parents in Nooristan where her father is a farmer her mother is illiterate. Food has become very scarce in Nooristan. She has just moved into a Safe house in Kabul with her cousin Husna.

Laleh

7 years old

aziza
Aziza lost her father before she was born. He served in the Afghan army for 10 years and was killed by the Taliban. Her mother is now the only breadwinner for the family and they live in tent in Nooristan, a very rugged and mountainous area of Afghanistan. Aziza arrived at an AFCECO safe house with her sister Walija in December 2021.

Aziza

7 years old

nahid
Nahid is from Takhar province and she is one of the youngest child of her family. She born in a very poor family. Her family hardly feed her children. Nahid’s father is worker and he transferring small equipment by cart. It is known, that he hasn’t feed his children with 50 AFN which is his income per day. Nahid and her siblings are very intelligent and they are eager to go to school but unfortunately they don’t have school in the village and even her family is not able to live in city to provide education opportunity. when her family announced about AFCECO orphanage they wanted to bring 3 of their children, but we only could have accepted Nahid in Mehan orphanage. Nahid is the lucky one who could joined to AFCECO family.

Nahid

13 years old

meena
Meena was born to a nomad family at an isolated desert in Farah, a small town in western Afghanistan bordering with Iran. In a search for a new life, her family moved to Kabul and settled in outskirt of Kabul city. Meena’s mother began working in NGOs as a housekeeper. Meena’s three siblings got a chance to live in a AFCECO orphanage in Kabul. Following the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul, her mother agreed to take the charge of a safe house funded by AFCECO. Meena now stays with seven girls in one of AFCECO’s safe houses in Kabul.

Meena Noori

10 years old

fazila
Fazila is from Takhar province. She lived there with her mother and four siblings pior to joining an AFCECO safe house. Her father died of COVID in 2020 and her 12 year old brother works in a mobile repair shop to support the family as the Taliban will not allow her mother to work. Her mother asked that Fazila live in one of the safehouses to ensure she is safe and can receive and education.

Fazila

12 years old

nehal
Nehal is 14 years old and is in grade seven. She lives in a remote area in Kabul with her mother. Nehal’s father married another woman. Since then, her mother has been the single caregiver and the provider of a family of 6 children. Beside the economic challenges her mother has been going through to provide for her family, her mother and her daughters have faced many difficult situations and much criticism from their close relatives for their desires to getting education. Nehal and two of her other older sisters, who are 17 and 15 years old, have been standing against their relatives who wish them to get married. Even though they have faced many negative comments, they have never let their relative’s negative opinion impact their desire to get education. Getting a good education have always been crucially important for Nehal and her other siblings who have been standing for their rights in that young age. Two of Nehal's sisters grew up in AFCECO. One was a member of the Zohra, Afghanistan's first female orchestra Now even the Taliban government is against their right to get education and they have been banned from continuing their education since the Taliban have taken over.

Nehal

14 years old

yusra
Yosra is a eight-year-old and is also Zohra’s sister. Her parents struggle to provide for them and at the same their parents want to join AFCECO where they can study and go to school. Her aunt grew up in AFCECO.

Yosra

8 years old

zahra
Zohra is a 13-year-old girl from Nuristan. Her father is sick and her mother works on land, cultivating vegetables and corn to provide for the family. She would like to continue going to school in Kabul. Her aunt grew up in AFCECO.

Zohra

13 years old

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